The future just arrived. Welcome to it. AdAge editor, Scott Donaton writing today about how consumers now hold all the cards, not marketers, said, “Make no mistake, it’s nothing short of a revolution. Those who don’t embrace it — and resistance to change remains disappointingly strong — will be crushed by it.”
Scott Donaton, editor of AdAge
Further insights from Donaton’s article:
Larry Light, global chief marketing officer at McDonald’s, declared the death of the broadcast-centric ad model: “Mass marketing today is a mass mistake.” McDonald’s used to spend two-thirds of its ad budget on network prime time; that figure is now down to less than one-third.
General Motors’ Roger Adams, noting the automaker’s experimentation with less-intrusive forms of marketing, said, “The consumer wants to be in control, and we want to put them in control.” Echoed Saatchi & Saatchi chief Kevin Roberts, “The consumer now has absolute power. It is not your goddamn brand,” he told marketers.
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These sentiments from the big guys echo the wisdom of characters from the fringe, San Francisco brand consultancy, Plan B, in particular. But it matters little who came up with the revelations. Those in the know will benefit, whether they are credited as primary drivers, or not.
